Skip to content
mannafest.faith

Hebrew verb · H779

אָרַר

araraw-rar'

to curse

63 uses in the Hebrew text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: ʼârar

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's H779is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 12 of 39
    Old Testament books
  • 38
    spellings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · H779

to execrate

The King James renders it: [idiom] bitterly curse.

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

arar is rendered "to curse". It stands 63 times in the Hebrew text, across twelve books.

  • Eighteen of the uses stand in Deuteronomy, more than in any other book.
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Genesis 3:14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
  • The Greek text spells it thirty-eight different ways.

The first use

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:14אָר֤וּר

The first use, in the order of the Old Testament's books.

Where the word stands

Eighteen of the word's sixty-three uses are in Deuteronomy.

The other 27 Old Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

How the Greek text is glossed, word by word

  • cursed36
  • which bring a curse6
  • and cursed4
  • curse4
  • and curse you1
  • and I will curse1
  • continuously to curse1
  • curse you1
  • cursers of1
  • he has cursed it1
  • he is cursed1
  • I have cursed it1

and 5 more, 63 uses in all

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

אָרַךְarakto prolongUses34
אָרַשׂarasto betrothUses11
אָרַחarachto journeyUses6
אָרַזarazreinforcedUses1

All 63, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

38 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • אָר֣וּר7
  • אָר֕וּר7
  • אָר֗וּר5
  • אָר֥וּר5
  • אָר֤וּר3
  • אָֽרָה־2
  • הַֽמְאָרֲרִ֖ים2
  • וְאָר֥וּר2
  • אָאֹ֑ר1
  • א֣וֹרוּ1
  • אֹ֥רוּ1
  • אָר֖וֹר1

and 26 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singular31HVqsmsa
  • the definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine plural6HTd/Vprmpa
  • conjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singular4HC/Vqsmsa
  • verb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 2nd person masculine singular3HVqi2ms
  • verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine plural3HVqsmpa
  • verb · simple (qal), command · 2nd person masculine plural2HVqv2mp
  • verb · simple (qal), command · 2nd person masculine singular + paragogic he2HVqv2ms/Sh
  • Hc/Vqq1cs1Hc/Vqq1cs
  • conjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singular1HC/Vqrmpc/Sp2ms
  • the definite article (“the”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · feminine singular1HTd/Vqsfsa
  • verb · causative passive (hophal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singular1HVHi3ms
  • verb · passive or reflexive (niphal), participle · masculine plural1HVNrmpa

Genesis

nine uses
  • So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.

    Genesis 3:14

    • אָר֤וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

    Genesis 3:17

    • אֲרוּרָ֤הʾarurahverb · simple (qal), passive participle · feminine singulartagged: cursed
  • Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

    Genesis 4:11

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • And he named him Noah, saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”

    Genesis 5:29

    • אֵֽרְרָ֖הּʾererahverb · intensive (piel), qatal (perfect) · 3rd person masculine singular + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: he has cursed it
  • he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

    Genesis 9:25

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

    Genesis 12:3

    • אָאֹ֑רʾaorverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 1st person common singulartagged: I will curse
  • May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”

    Genesis 27:29

    • אֹרְרֶ֣יךָʾorereikhaverb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: curse you
    • אָר֔וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

    Genesis 49:7

    • אָר֤וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed

Exodus

one use
  • You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

    Exodus 22:28

    • תָאֹֽר׃taorverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: you must curse

Numbers

thirteen uses
  • After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.

    Numbers 5:18

    • הַמְאָֽרֲרִֽים׃hamararimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine pluraltagged: which bring a curse
  • And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.

    Numbers 5:19

    • הַֽמְאָרֲרִ֖יםhamararimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine pluraltagged: which bring a curse
  • May this water that brings a curse enter your stomach and cause your belly to swell and your thigh to shrivel.’ Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

    Numbers 5:22

    • הַמְאָרְרִ֤יםhamarerimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine pluraltagged: which bring a curse
  • He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and cause her bitter suffering.

    Numbers 5:24

    • הַמְאָֽרֲרִ֑יםhamararimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine pluraltagged: which bring a curse
    • הַֽמְאָרֲרִ֖יםhamararimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine pluraltagged: which bring a curse
  • When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people.

    Numbers 5:27

    • הַמְאָֽרֲרִים֙hamararimthe definite article (“the”) + verb · intensive (piel), participle · masculine pluraltagged: which bring a curse
  • So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”

    Numbers 22:6

    • אָֽרָה־ʾarah-verb · simple (qal), command · 2nd person masculine singular + paragogic hetagged: curse
    • תָּאֹ֖רtaorverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: you curse
    • יוּאָֽר׃yuarverb · causative passive (hophal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 3rd person masculine singulartagged: he is cursed
  • But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”

    Numbers 22:12

    • תָאֹר֙taorverb · simple (qal), yiqtol (imperfect) · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: you will curse
  • And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’

    Numbers 23:7

    • אָֽרָה־ʾarah-verb · simple (qal), command · 2nd person masculine singular + paragogic hetagged: curse
  • He crouches, he lies down like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”

    Numbers 24:9

    • וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָveorereikhaconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singulartagged: and curse you
    • אָרֽוּר׃ʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed

Deuteronomy

eighteen uses
  • ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:15

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:16

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:17

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander in the road.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:18

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:19

    • אָר֗וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:20

    • אָר֗וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:21

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:22

    • אָר֗וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:23

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:24

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:25

    • אָרוּר֙ʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • ‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

    Deuteronomy 27:26

    • אָר֗וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

    Deuteronomy 28:16

    • אָר֥וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
    • וְאָר֥וּרvearurconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: and cursed
  • Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.

    Deuteronomy 28:17

    • אָר֥וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • The fruit of your womb will be cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.

    Deuteronomy 28:18

    • אָר֥וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

    Deuteronomy 28:19

    • אָר֥וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
    • וְאָר֥וּרvearurconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: and cursed

Joshua

two uses
  • At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”

    Joshua 6:26

    • אָר֨וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

    Joshua 9:23

    • אֲרוּרִ֣יםʾarurimverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine pluraltagged: cursed

Judges

four uses
  • ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’

    Judges 5:23

    • א֣וֹרוּʾoruverb · simple (qal), command · 2nd person masculine pluraltagged: curse
    • אֹ֥רוּʾoruverb · simple (qal), command · 2nd person masculine pluraltagged: curse
    • אָר֖וֹרʾarorverb · simple (qal), infinitive absolutetagged: continuously to curse
  • But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”

    Judges 21:18

    • אָר֕וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed

1 Samuel

three uses
  • Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.

    1 Samuel 14:24

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”

    1 Samuel 14:28

    • אָר֥וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

    1 Samuel 26:19

    • אֲרוּרִ֥יםʾarurimverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine pluraltagged: cursed

2 Kings

one use
  • Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”

    2 Kings 9:34

    • הָאֲרוּרָ֤הhaarurahthe definite article (“the”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · feminine singulartagged: the accursed

Job

one use
  • May it be cursed by those who curse the day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

    Job 3:8

    • אֹרְרֵי־ʾorerei-verb · simple (qal), participle · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)tagged: cursers of

Psalms

one use
  • You rebuke the arrogant— the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

    Psalms 119:21

    • אֲרוּרִ֑יםʾarurimverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine pluraltagged: cursed

Jeremiah

six uses
  • You must tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,

    Jeremiah 11:3

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.

    Jeremiah 17:5

    • אָר֤וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.

    Jeremiah 20:14

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.

    Jeremiah 20:15

    • אָר֣וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
  • Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.

    Jeremiah 48:10

    • אָר֗וּרʾarurverb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: cursed
    • וְאָר֕וּרvearurconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: and cursed

Malachi

four uses
  • “But cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the nations.

    Malachi 1:14

    • וְאָר֣וּרvearurconjunction (“and”) + verb · simple (qal), passive participle · masculine singulartagged: and cursed
  • If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.

    Malachi 2:2

    • וְאָרוֹתִ֖יvearotiHc/Vqq1cstagged: and I will curse
    • אָרוֹתִ֔יהָʾarotihaverb · simple (qal), qatal (perfect) · 1st person common singular + pronoun suffix · 3rd person feminine singulartagged: I have cursed it
  • You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.

    Malachi 3:9

    • נֵֽאָרִ֔יםnearimverb · passive or reflexive (niphal), participle · masculine pluraltagged: cursed

The letters

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The words it stands beside are the nouns, verbs and adjectives immediately before or after it, counted in every verse where the word stands. The article, the conjunctions and the prepositions are left out, because they stand beside every word.

The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESH gloss (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →